Dragon Blade
by WickedGypsy
Summary: {finished} The girl who saves the world has lost the love of her life, but the battle is just beginning.
1. The Connection

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Nikole Piper.  
  
***  
  
"Hey, Bo," Nikole Piper pressed her hands lightly on the clear glass. "Didja miss me?" She looked at the long, brown and black boa constrictor that was laying on a rock beyond the glass.  
  
"Yes, mistress." It slithered toward her and asked, "What brings you here?"  
  
"I missed ya, you know? Besides, I thought that if I visited you and I could check the other reptiles here in the zoo." She looked around, thankful to not catch anyone's attention.  
  
"Mr. Potter is coming."  
  
Nikole looked at Bo in that confused way she did. "Who? Mr. Potter? Who?"  
  
"Mr. Potter. The Boy-Who-Lived. Haven't you heard about him?" Bo slithered closer, his tongue entering and leaving his mouth.  
  
"No," Nikole confessed.  
  
"Shhhh, mistress. Here he is." Bo slithered back onto his rock and acted like a real, dangerous snake.  
  
"So, you like snakes, too?" A young, rather handsome boy stood next to her. His hair was unruly and messy, but his eyes were blue and carried seriousness and depth and a little humor.  
  
"Yeah, I do," Nikole drew her attention back to Bo. Since she couldn't speak to Bo with the boy standing right there, she decided to use her talent to talk to snakes with her mind. 'Bo, is this Mr. Potter?'  
  
'Yes, mistress. Tis him.'  
  
"Where are my manners?" The boy asked. "My name is Harry. Harry Potter." He held out his hand and Nikole shook it.  
  
"Nikole. Nikole Piper." 'Harry Potter? Where have I heard that name before?'  
  
"Nice to meet you, Nikole," he smiled. He was dressed in a gray T-shirt with a plaid, button-down shirt over it, and beige cargos that were slightly torn at the knees.  
  
'You've heard the name from your mother, mistress.'  
  
"You, too, Harry." Nikole returned his smile. 'My mother? What are you talking about, Bo?'  
  
'She sang you songs and told you stories, and one of them had the name Harry Potter. Do you remember now?'  
  
"No, Bo. I-I don't," Nikole answered out loud.  
  
"Pardon me?" Harry asked, looking at her, confused.  
  
"Uh," she began. Way to go genius. "Um..." 'Bo! Is he parsel-tongue?'  
  
'Yes, mistress.'  
  
"I was talking to Bo." Nikole looked at Bo.  
  
"Bo?" he asked.  
  
"Him," she replied, pointing toward the snake.  
  
"You're talking to a snake?" he asked, skeptically.  
  
She was going to tell him her magical secrets, but changed her mind. "Yes. I am. Well, its, just weird." Nikole looked into his eyes.  
  
"Am I supposed to be afraid that you may be some type of psycho and run for my life?" He took a half-inch back.  
  
"You can. But I won't follow." She pushed back a few strands of loose hair away from her face and looked at him.  
  
"That's good." He looked into her brown eyes and saw her sigh; he decided to change the subject. "So, you, uh, like reptiles?"  
  
"Turtles, crocs, and snakes mostly. You?"  
  
"I like owls."  
  
"Owls. I love those, too. They can really interact with nature and humans. They're beautiful creatures."  
  
"They are." Harry took a step closer to Bo and it hissed at him. 'I wish I could talk to you, Bo, but someone's here.'  
  
"Why, hello there, lovely lady," started Dudley, appearing from nowhere. "I see you've met my cousin, Harry."  
  
"Yes, I, uh, have." Nikole looked from Dudley to Harry.  
  
"Dudley," he replied, giving out his hand.  
  
"Nikole," she answered, shaking it.  
  
"Nice to meet you, Nikole. I hope Harry here hasn't been giving you any trouble. Has he?" Dudley glared evilly at his cousin.  
  
"Uh, no, he hasn't. He's been a good boy." Nikole looked at Harry, who was looking at the ground. Apparently, his cousin had some sort of 'power' over him. "Well, it was nice meeting both of you, but I must get going."  
  
"Goodbye, Nikole," called Dudley.  
  
"Bye," Harry echoed.  
  
After Nikole was out of earshot range, Dudley looked at his cousin. "Don't think you'll get a girlfriend before me, witch-boy. Now she's a fine young thing, but she's mine."  
  
Harry didn't answer.  
  
"Come on, children," called out his Uncle Vernon. "We're on our way home." 


	2. The Aquaintances

Supper had just finished in the Dursely house, when there was a knock on the door.  
  
"Well?" asked Uncle Vernon. "Go get it, lazy!"  
  
"Yes, Uncle Vernon." Harry walked quickly to the door and opened it.  
  
"Hey, Potter." Nikole was standing there, soaking wet from the rain that was still pouring. "May I come in?"  
  
"Sure, come on." He gestured her in and she walked in.  
  
"Who is it Harry?" A tall, chubby man came in from the living room and looked right at Nikole. "Who the bloody hell are you? Are you from that.that god forsaken school?" he demanded.  
  
"Um, no, sir. I'm Nikole Piper and I'm from the Army."  
  
"Please explain to us why you are in this house." Within seconds of that demand, Dudley and a tall, slender woman appeared from the same place.  
  
"Well, I was walking back to my station when the rain just started to pour right from the sky and I knocked on other houses, even tried to hitchhike, but no one would just let me stay even under their balcony. And I just thought that this place would be different."  
  
"Come on dear," started the woman, walking toward Nikole. "Why don't we go into the kitchen and get you some tea, shall we?"  
  
"No thank you, ma'am. I just needed some form of roof over my head."  
  
"Nonsense. Please, accept our hospitality." The woman pulled her into the kitchen and said to Harry, "Come on then. You need to make and serve the tea." She pushed Nikole into the kitchen and said to Dudley, "Please sweetheart could get a towel from the closet?"  
  
"Sure, mum," responded Dudley, heading upstairs.  
  
Harry followed the women and the chubby man walked on upstairs and shut the door to his bedroom.  
  
"Well? What are you waiting for, Harry? Serve the woman some tea," commanded the woman. She looked at Nikole and said in a kind voice, "Please, make yourself at home and if you need anything, go on and ask Harry. Alright?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am."  
  
"Please, call me Mrs. Dursely." She walked out of the kitchen and the two heard steps go up the stairs.  
  
"Here you go," Harry said, pouring her a cup of tea. He placed it on a saucer in front of her.  
  
Nikole just stared at the cup and she was still shivering.  
  
"You're not thirsty are you?" he asked, sitting down in front of her.  
  
"No, but thank you." Nikole looked up and into his eyes. There was a sense of security in them that made her feel that if she looked away, she could feel and be unsafe.  
  
"Here you go, Nikole," Dudley announced when he came in. He placed the towel on her shoulders and said, "If you need anything, I'm here for you." And with that, he left.  
  
"Are you guys actually related?" Nikole asked once she was sure that Dudley was out of earshot range.  
  
"Only genetically." He laughed, his smile once again attracting Nikole.  
  
"That's nice to know." Nikole started to shiver again when she stood. She placed the towel on the back of the chair and walked to the window. "I better go."  
  
"But, you're still soaked," he argued.  
  
"My station is probably looking for me." She pushed a lock of hair from her face. "Please? May I leave from your presence, o great one?"  
  
"I get an actual say in this?"  
  
"No, I've just always wanted to say that." Nikole laughed. The door swung open as the woman Mrs. Dursely appeared.  
  
"Enjoying yourself now?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, ma'am. I am. But, I best be on my way, but thank you so much for you hospitality. It's meant a lot."  
  
"Nonsense!" she exclaimed. "Please, stay. At least for a few more hours, for us to get to know each other better.in case you come around here again."  
  
Nikole looked at Harry, as if waiting his approval. She didn't need an answer out loud she just used her telepathy.  
  
She concentrated and she heard him. Please say yes.  
  
"Yes, ma'am. I'd love to." Nikole re-seated herself and Mrs. Dursely's smile returned.  
  
"Good then. Sandwich? They're in the shape of a triangle." Mrs. Dursely didn't wait for an answer; she placed the plate of sandwiches in front of her. "Go on. Fill that skinny little tummy up."  
  
"Thanks," Nikole said, taking one but not biting out of it.  
  
"Well," Mrs. Dursely began. "How old are you now, deary?"  
  
"Thirteen." Nikole bit the sandwich and swallowed it, not minding its flavor.  
  
"Well, that's the same age as my son, Dudley, and also him," she remarked, poiting to Harry.  
  
Nikole only smiled. "Um, may I use your facilities?"  
  
"Sure, go on right ahead."  
  
"Where is it?" Nikole asked.  
  
"Upstairs, second door on the left." Mrs. Dursely took a bite of the other sandwiches.  
  
Nikole brushed passed them and up the stairs. She could hear the television on at the far end of the hall. Mr. Dursely. She opened the door to the restroom and took a quick glance in the mirror. Her hair was a major mess, all tangled and wet, and her sweatshirt and undershirt were soaked and dirty and her pants were very dirty. She couldn't tell them why she was really outside: slaying vampires.  
  
It had been days since a vamp had left its hiding place and now they were all popping up and out of nowhere. She was just out there taking her usual patrol when a vampire appeared from a tree and pushed her off the sidewalk and into the cemetery. It tried to choke her, but obviously didn't realize the strength of the Slayer. They struggled on the ground until it ended with a stake and big, big pile of bone dust.  
  
Oh, great, I look just great. She left the room and was about to leave the second floor, when something in the room across caught her mind. She took a few steps closer to the room and saw that it was owl in a cage. Someone was coming upstairs and she turned away and started down the steps. I'll investigate later.  
  
"Feeling better?" It was Harry.  
  
"Yeah, I am." Nikole walked passed him down the stairs and walked back into the kitchen.  
  
"Well, are you alright?" asked Mrs. Dursely.  
  
"Yes, ma'am." Nikole sat down. "How long have you lived in this house?"  
  
"Much too long, dear. Much too long." Mrs. Dursely took a drink of tea and stood. "Well, I better get off to bed now. Stay as long as you like, honey."  
  
"Thanks," Nikole replied as Mrs. Dursely left the kitchen and Harry entered.  
  
"Do you want some dry clothes?" Harry asked, clearing the table.  
  
"It would be most preferable, but no thanks." She cleared her throat. "I'm drying off anyway."  
  
"Well, there's more sandwiches in the fridge and TV in the living room. I have to go on outside and sweep the porch."  
  
"Isn't it late for that?" she asked.  
  
"Not for me. Any time is good as long as the job gets done." Harry went outside and Nikole remained in the kitchen. Suddenly, the thought of the owl upstairs brought her attention back. Quietly, she walked upstairs and snuck into the room.  
  
"Wow." The room was plain, but the owl was beautiful. She walked toward it and opened the cage. "Hey there," she cooed. The owl propped itself comfortably on her arm.  
  
"Hello, there," it answered.  
  
"Do you have a name?"  
  
"Sorry, mistress. I don't."  
  
"Well, whose little beauty are you?" Nikole sat on the bed that was placed near the wall.  
  
"Mr. Potter's."  
  
"Who is he? And why does his name sound so familiar?" Nikole asked. She knew about animals and how they knew about the past, but never the future.  
  
"The story of the Boy-Who-Lived, mistress. Remember? Your mother used to read it to you when you were but a wee thing."  
  
"No, I don't. Sorry." Nikole sighed and added, "Does Mr. Potter go to Hogwarts?"  
  
"Yes, mistress. He does."  
  
"How did my mother die?"  
  
The owl didn't answer.  
  
"Please. That's all I wish to know," Nikole begged. "Please."  
  
"Voldemort, mistress. Voldemort."  
  
"I don't remember him." her voice trailed off.  
  
"He's in the story of the Boy-Who-Lived, mistress," it chirped.  
  
"And my father?"  
  
Once again, it didn't answer. Nikole looked at it hard. "He.he left you when you were two months old, mistress. Nothing more and nothing less."  
  
Nikole was silent. She carefully put the owl back in its cage. "Thanks."  
  
The owl nodded. "Mr. Potter's on his way."  
  
"Thanks." Nikole locked his cage and walked out. She wiped her face and had a quick glance in the restroom mirror. She looked okay, soaking wet, but still okay. She ran downstairs and outside where Harry was sweeping the porch as he said he would. "Hey." She sat on the cement baluster and looked up at the sky.  
  
"Hey." Harry continued on sweeping. "Ever heard of the story called the Boy- Who-Lived? It's rather stupid, though."  
  
"The Boy-Who-Lived? Please tell me," she begged with enthusiasm.  
  
"Alright. Well, there once was a baby boy with loving parents, but he lived in a dark age where evil beings roamed the earth. Voldemort was one of them and came to the young baby's house and asked his parents to go on the dark side." He cleared his throat and had finished sweeping. "But his parents refused, so Voldemort had to kill them and he did. But he didn't kill the baby boy, instead, he let him live, but promised him that he would be back for revenge and to finally kill him."  
  
"What was his name?" Nikole asked.  
  
"Coincidence really. Same as mine." He laughed and smiled that smile.  
  
"Wow." Nikole looked up at the sky and at the stars. "They're beautiful, aren't they?"  
  
"Yes, they are." Harry walked toward and sat by her.  
  
"Haven't you ever wondered what it would be like if the stars were really that small and you could hold it in the palm of your hands?" Nikole was caught up the feel of the cool breeze and the warmth of the stars.  
  
She's beautiful. "That's an interesting perspective."  
  
"You think? And should I take that as a complement?" Nikole stood and walked until her roof was the haven of stars above.  
  
"Please do," he laughed.  
  
"Well, I still thank you all for this, but I really must go." Nikole looked around, glad to not see any vampires around the vicinity.  
  
"No, please, stay," replied Harry.  
  
"It's starting to get late, Harry. I need to get to my station."  
  
Harry looked at her. I wish I could tell her my secrets.  
  
Nikole returned his stare with a smile. I wish I could tell him my secrets. "See you." She waved and began to walk away.  
  
"Don't be a stranger 'round here," Harry called after her.  
  
"I wont." Nikole walked slowly, every now and then turning around. When she was sure that she was out of his sight, she ducked behind a tree and fell down on her knees and started to cry. My father left me? Voldemort.who? He killed my mother? Why? What did she do that was so wrong that he had to kill her and to leave me here? She buried her face in her hands and sobbed.  
  
"Aw," a voice started from behind her. "Miss Piper had her feelings hurt. Isn't it beautiful?"  
  
Nikole stood and positioned her body, ready for a good fight. The tears still stung at her cheeks, but that wasn't important. The vampire ready to kick her butt was. And she was ready.  
  
"Whatcha' gonna do, Slayer? Stick a splinter in me?"  
  
"Wanna see?" Nikole gave him a swift kick in the ribs and he fell back.  
  
He stood back up and gave a swing at her, but missed and fell forward. Nikole laughed and backed away. When he stood, Nikole ran and tackled him into a tree and was now on top of him. She grabbed him by the collar and punched his face twice. It roared at her and pushed her off and into a tree. Nikole landed on her hands and knees and saw the vampire coming toward her.  
  
She was scared and he knew it. He ran toward her hard and she crawled quickly out of the way as he ran himself right into the tree. "Duh, idiot," Nikole laughed. She had an opportunity to stake him, and Nikole never turned down any opportunity. She removed the stake and staked him right into the heart. The wind decided to blow on the dust and it flew from the pile. 


	3. Coincidences Happen

The next morning drew quickly and her normal breakfast of steamed porridge seemed to disappear the same way: quickly, especially because of her best friend, Tom Morton, who was as hungry as a pig in the morning.  
  
"Aren't you hungry, Nikki?" he asked between bites of Jimmy Lee's porridge, her porridge, and his porridge.  
  
"Nope." And that was the truth. She wasn't hungry, just caught up in some thinking. In some thinking about that story of Harry Potter, that fear of him from Bo, her actual meeting with him, and her past. She wondered how it all came together...like a jigsaw puzzle without a missing piece.  
  
"Alright then," he replied. He turned as Michelle Timbres sat down beside him. She was already dressed for the day, in her fatigues. "Hey, are you going to eat the bread roll?"  
  
"Nah," Michelle replied. "Go on ahead and take it, Tom."  
  
"Thanks!" he exclaimed, taking it from her tray.  
  
"So," Michelle started. "Where were you last night, chic? All of the Lilac team was looking for you?"  
  
The Lilac team, Nikole's station; "I got caught up in slaying the vamps." She snickered at the name: 'Lilac team.' Lilac? Icky. "Serious?" Michelle took a spoonful of her porridge. "Hey, this one has flavor."  
  
"F'real, chic? No lie? What flavor?" Nikole asked in astonishment. The cafeteria food actually having flavor, this was definitely a Kodak® moment.  
  
"Tastes like sugar."  
  
"Lemme try," Nikole replied, taking Michelle's spoon away from her. She tried a little then replied, "Actually, it tastes more like cinnamon then it does sugar."  
  
Michelle shrugged as she took back her spoon. "Hey, didja know that we have some people name the...uh, Dirty's visiting?"  
  
"Dirty's?" Tom asked.  
  
"Yup. Or something else, like, uh Dursley's I think." Michelle took another spoonful.  
  
"Dursley's?" exclaimed Nikole. "Why?"  
  
"I dunno. Like for, uh, a sample of Army life I guess." Michelle shrugged.  
  
That wasn't enough for Nikole, but instead of asking her head off, she just continued sharing a breakfast with Michelle. 


	4. Swimming with the Great Whites

"A ten, hut!" General Shafter screamed at the Intermediate team, which included Nikole. He started to walk around and toward the back where Nikole stood doing jumping jacks. Out of all the Orders at Sermine's, General Shafter was not only the scariest but was also the strictest and hardest, and Nikole feared him. "Ah, good job, Miss Piper. Now drop and give me twenty!"  
  
"Sir, yes, sir!" Nikole yelled and dropped to the floor and gave him twenty push-ups.  
  
"Very good, Piper. Now, answer me this. Where were you last night? Lilac team was looking for you."  
  
Nikole stood and looked him straight into his green eyes. "Slaying vampires, sir!"  
  
He raised his eyebrows, seemingly impressed. "Good, Piper. How many?"  
  
"Three, sir!"  
  
"Was that your best?"  
  
"Sir, yes, sir!"  
  
"How many are you going to slay tonight?" "Five, sir!"  
  
General Shafter walked away and yelled to Intermediate team, "Diiiissssmisssed!" He continued on walking away, leaving the Intermediate team to sit on the ground and breathe.  
  
"Tough, isn't he?" Solomon Brady, a Master in his Degree of Discipline, came toward Nikole.  
  
"Very." Nikole walked toward Tom and sat next to him and Solomon followed. "Have the Dursley's come yet?"  
  
Tom shrugged.  
  
"Not yet. Should be coming by around two, I 'spect," replied Solomon.  
  
"Thanks," Nikole answered, her brown eyes shining. "Anyways, better get going to Scuba. See ya, later."  
  
"Bye," they replied and continued talking.  
  
*  
  
"Now, today we will be learning how to swim with the sharks," began Lieutenant Clusters. She walked from the beginning to the end of the line on the dock, the boys and girls all dressed in their bathing suits rather than the scuba gear provided. "Great White Sharks, to be exact."  
  
The students didn't gasp, for they knew this day would come. They just breathed in and out loudly.  
  
"Now, the Great Whites will not be muzzled and are able to bite you and even kill you, but they wont. They were trained to fight, not to kill, humans. If they bite you, they bite you and you might die, which you shouldn't. And can someone please tell why you won't?" She looked at them. "Cynthia?"  
  
Cynthia Holt looked at Lieutenant Clusters and replied, "Because we've been practicing and training for this day, ma'am!"  
  
"Good," Lieutenant Clusters smiled. "Now-"  
  
"Sorry, to interrupt, Lieutenant, but this family is here for the tour," Captain Jippers, of the Navy team, said. A family followed him onto the dock. They were the Dursleys.  
  
"Very well, Captain. Please, they will be fine now." Lieutenant Clusters motioned them to the benches beside the closed area of the English Channel. "These students will be swimming with the sharks, just so you know." She looked at us and replied, "Who'd like to go first?"  
  
No one answered. No one raised they're hand. No one stepped forward. And that meant that they wanted Lieutenant to choose for them.  
  
"All right, then. Miss Piper, would you like to go first?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am." Nikole, in a black two-piece, stepped forward and next to Lieutenant Clusters.  
  
"All right. Now, you, and the others, will not be using the oxygen tanks that we had practiced with. Will you make it?"  
  
Everyone knew the answer to that. No one should reply no to that question, and they all knew it. "Yes, ma'am," Nikole answered.  
  
"Please undo your hair, Miss Piper."  
  
Nikole nodded and removed her white hair tie and handed it over to Lieutenant Clusters. "Thank you." She cleared her throat, as Nikole stood closer to the in-closed water. "Now, jump in whenever you're ready."  
  
"Yes, ma'am." Nikole breathed in heavily and could feel all eyes on her, especially Harry's wonderful blue ones. She stood back a ways and took a run at it. She ran and jumped into the freezing cold water.  
  
The water stung her skin and bones with its frozen temperature. She swam up to the surface and she could her clapping from her piers, but ignored them. She knew there were sharks in the very water she was in; she took a deep breath and dive back down.  
  
Under the water, she could barely see, and within milliseconds she knew: they had contaminated the water with salt...lots of salt so no one could be able to see and had to just rely on their senses to find the sharks and stay under for ten minutes.  
  
She swam a ways and quickly felt for objects and any quick movements in the water. She thought she was safe when she found a nice, rough rock to rest on until she needed a breath, but was utterly wrong. She instantaneously felt a sharp movement...from the right...now it was on the left. It was circling around her. She turned every which way and knew there was more than one.  
  
And one of them jerked at her and tackled her right into the rock and right into a sharp, jagged edge of it. She screamed and could feel air bubbles float up to the surface and she knew that these sharks were NOT trained to not harm humans. They were trained to hurt humans.  
  
She decided to open her eyes and did. She looked down at the shark, his great white fangs digging into her side with blood racing out. Looking up, she saw more coming this way. Feeling for any weapon, she found a sharper rock that cut her palm when she found it and hit the shark across the head. It jerked away, tearing her skin. She found an opportunity. She swam up to the surface.  
  
Once on the surface, her piers were standing right on the boundary line by the in-closed ocean and helped her up. She lay on the ground and could feel the sun beat down her and the pain of her side still lingered. She wasn't about to go back in there but knew she had to. She had to kill them, cause if they just let the sharks go, they could hurt more people, and if they kept it, who knows what damage they could do to the navy ships?  
  
She tried to sit up, but couldn't. Her world went black and she lay there unconscious. 


	5. She Lives and Must Kill

"Nikole? Nikole? Please wake up!"  
  
Nikole fluttered her eyes open and Cynthia was helping her sit up. "Where...am I?"  
  
"Do you know who you are?" Cynthia asked.  
  
"Yes...I'm Nikole Piper. Now tell me where am I?"  
  
"You're still on the dock, Miss Piper," Lieutenant Clusters replied, sitting down next to her. "Can you stand?"  
  
Nikole tried with Cynthia helping. Once she stood, she looked down at her side, the blood still flowing.  
  
"The paramedics are on their way," Lieutenant Clusters replied.  
  
"The sharks." Nikole stammered.  
  
"Ah, yes. The sharks. You weren't paying attention in class were you?" Lieutenant asked.  
  
"I did.but, the sharks, they were-"  
  
"Don't talk back, Miss Piper." "But you really need to hear me out!" Nikole screamed.  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Did you infest the water with salt?" Nikole asked.  
  
"No, Miss Piper. Everyone knows that salt and Great Whites are not a good mix. It makes them violent."  
  
"My point exactly." Nikole walked to the in-closed ocean and said, "Smell the water. Taste it even. You'd know that there's salt in it."  
  
Lieutenant Clusters sighed. "Very well." She walked up to in-closed ocean and took a handful of water and tasted it. "My! It is infested with salt!"  
  
"Yes, ma'am. And that made the sharks attack, but I didn't bother them one bit, but they still circled me and attacked." Nikole paused and looked back down into the water. "They were trained to kill."  
  
Lieutenant was silent a moment. "We'll have to let them free."  
  
"No! Then they'll kill other people." Nikole looked back at Lieutenant.  
  
"Then we'll kill them." She cleared her throat. "We just need someone who can."  
  
"I'll do it," Nikole replied.  
  
"But you almost died, Miss Piper." Lieutenant walked toward her. "You're not in a stable condition."  
  
"But I actually escaped! I can do it, Lieutenant. I've killed vampires and other demons, so what exactly makes Great Whites a different story?"  
  
"Its underwater."  
  
"I can hold my breath for a minute and you know it." Nikole looked back at Lieutenant, her brown eyes blazing with determination. "Please."  
  
The paramedics, all dressed in orange jumpsuits, came in running with a stretcher. "Who is the victim?"  
  
Jon Kincaid replied, "Nikole is." And was pointing toward her.  
  
"Whose Nikole?" they asked.  
  
"I am," Nikole replied.  
  
The paramedics looked from her wound to her. They looked at Lieutenant Clusters and asked, "Is this she?"  
  
Lieutenant nodded. "Just heal her, Mr. Jones. For I would like her back later on today."  
  
Nikole smiled. She knew what Lieutenant wanted her to do: to save the world...again.  
  
"Now, Nikole?" asked the paramedics and Nikole looked at them. "Please get on the stretcher."  
  
"I can walk."  
  
"Not in this condition."  
  
"Doesn't matter. I know where the nurse's office is."  
  
The paramedics looked shocked. "Doesn't matter. Now get on."  
  
Lieutenant cut in. "I'm sorry, but Miss Piper is very individualistic and determined. She wont take help when she doesn't need it. And right now, she doesn't need it."  
  
"Thank you, Lieutenant Clusters," the man called Mr. Jones answered. "Let's go then."  
  
Nikole walked to the direction of the nurse's office and took a quick glance at the bleachers. The Dursley family was looking at her.so was Harry.  
  
"May I please come? I haven't seen a nurse's office." Nikole overheard Harry asking Mrs. Dursley.  
  
"Very well then. But, as long as you take Dudley with you," Mrs. Dursley negotiated.  
  
"Yes, ma'am," Harry answered. Dudley stood and pushed Harry off the bleachers. Harry landed on his knees and Nikole walked toward him.  
  
"You okay?" she asked, lending out her hand.  
  
"Yeah," he replied as he quickly stood and brushed himself off. He just stood there.  
  
"Well? Come on," Nikole said.  
  
"I have to wait for Dudley."  
  
Nikole wasn't enjoying this. "Alright then. Stay where you are until Dudley comes. I, on the other hand, have a wound the size of Buick in my side so I best be going to the nurse." She turned and walked away, the paramedics following. 


	6. Why Me?

In the nurse's office, Mrs. Xerxes was bandaging her wound. "You lost a lot of blood, honey. You might need a transfusion."  
  
"A transfusion?" Nikole asked, sitting on the hospital bed. "They actually donate?"  
  
"Yes, dear."  
  
Harry and Dudley came bursting into the office, breathless.  
  
The nurse smiled and said, "Good day, to you."  
  
Dudley smiled and sat down on the green sofa next to the door, which left Harry standing.  
  
"See Dudley caught up," Nikole remarked. The nurse pressed the gauze pad hard against the wound. Nikole flinched.  
  
"It's alright," soothed Mrs. Xerxes, her Irish accent blooming in her words. "It may continue to hurt for a while, but it wont as long as you stay away from water."  
  
"Away from water?" Nikole exclaimed. "But, I need to kill the Great Whites!"  
  
"Sorry, dear, but you cant."  
  
"But-"  
  
"No more buts." Mrs. Xerxes motioned Nikole to stand. "Now, stand up."  
  
Nikole obeyed. The tiled floor was still wet from the blood and water that used to be trickling from her body. Nikole grabbed the bed for support.  
  
"Where does it hurt?" Mrs. Xerxes asked.  
  
"Just where the wound is." Nikole shivered, for she was still in her two- piece, the water and sweat that was on her already dry. She looked up and saw Harry leaning against the threshold. "Thanks, Mrs. Xerxes. I appreciate it."  
  
"Now remember dear! No water!" she called out after Nikole left the room, dragging Harry, who was dragging Dudley.  
  
"Alright!" Nikole answered. Once in the hall, Harry removed his plaid button-down and placed it over Nikole's shoulders. Dudley was in the restroom, so to him it was safe.  
  
He looked at Nikole and smiled. He saw in her eyes the determination and beauty that life only brought. "Better?"  
  
"Yeah. Thanks." Nikole answered his smile with hers. He was still in a gray T-shirt, and Nikole thought he was the most handsome thing on earth. "But, you better take it back. Dudley could appear at any given moment." She removed the button-down and returned it. Harry reluctantly took it and replied, "I guess you're right."  
  
Dudley appeared from an alley and said, "Let's go."  
  
Nikole and Harry followed. Once they were outside, Lieutenant Clusters ran toward Nikole.  
  
"Well? Are you set?" she asked.  
  
Nikole shook her head. "I cant go anywhere near water if I ever want this wound to heal. Sorry, Lieutenant."  
  
"It's alright. We'll have General Shafter and Captain Jippers to do the job. Well, you best be going to your dormitories. You must be getting packed for the big day tomorrow." Lieutenant Clusters walked away.  
  
"What big day?" Dudley asked.  
  
"I'm going to school tomorrow," Nikole answered.  
  
"Same here," Harry remarked. "Apparently, lots of schools begin the same time."  
  
"Guess," Nikole shrugged. "Well, I have to go. Bye." 


	7. Smartypants

Nikole walked around, her newly bought owl in her right hand and her backpack in the other. Platform 9¾? She wondered. She continued to roam until she found a man in a red suit and asked, "Excuse me, sir, but where can I find Platform 9 and-"  
  
"Nikole!" shouted Harry, running up behind her. "Lets not bother the kindly man now."  
  
"But I'm not, Harry. I'm just asking if he knows where Platform 9 and three quarters is."  
  
"Nine and three quarters!" the man exclaimed. "You must be joking! Ha!" He turned away from her and walked toward another train.  
  
"Okay." Nikole shifted her owl, Persistence, uneasily. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Finding my train." Harry walked with Nikole. Nikole stopped between Platforms nine and ten.  
  
"Where's Platform nine and three quarters," Nikole asked.  
  
"Right here. Wait. You're looking for Platform nine and three quarters? What school?" Harry stopped in his tracks.  
  
"Hogwarts. And yes, I am looking for Platform nine and three quarters."  
  
"Hogwarts?" he asked. "Me too." Now I know why she was talking to Bo. And no wonder! I knew something was different about her right from the off.  
  
"Well, we better get on. But, how exactly?" Nikole asked.  
  
"Just walk into this wall between Platforms nine and ten. Don't worry, I'll come with you." Harry took her arm and they both walked in together.  
  
"Whoa." Nikole looked around. "Where are we?"  
  
"The train station to Hogwarts." Harry dragged her into the train.  
  
*  
  
"We can sit in here," Harry suggested, motioning her into the tiny booth. "You know, you could've just let the bag guy take your things."  
  
"I know. But, I just didn't want to." Nikole sat near the window and was exhilarated by the greenest grass and coolest breeze.  
  
Harry chuckled to himself. "Enjoying yourself now?"  
  
Nikole nodded. "What year?"  
  
"Fourth...you?"  
  
"Same. What house?" Nikole tickled Persistence.  
  
"Gryffindor. What house do you want to be in?" Harry was sitting across from her.  
  
"I always wanted to be in Gryffindor...since my mother was in Gryffindor."  
  
"Hey, Harry," greeted a young man, freckled and redheaded, who looked about the same age as Harry, came in.  
  
"Hey, Ron. This is Nikole."  
  
"Hey," replied Ron. "First year?"  
  
"Third level." Nikole opened the cage and Persistence hopped onto her arm.  
  
"Thank you, mistress. My neck was beginning to get a cramp." Persistence hopped onto her shoulder and nestled his head in her hair.  
  
"Welcome, Percy," Nikole giggled.  
  
"Whoa. She can do that?" asked Ron.  
  
"Yeah, she can, Ron," replied Harry.  
  
"Are you guys talking about me over there?" Nikole teased.  
  
"He is," Ron lied, pointing to Harry. Nikole smiled and Ron felt as if he was going to melt just seeing her smile. "Harry," he whispered. "Does she smile like that everyday?"  
  
"Just about," Harry answered.  
  
"Thank you, God," replied Ron.  
  
"Mistress, where are we going?" asked Persistence, cocking his head to the side.  
  
"Hogwarts, Percy. Hogwarts." Nikole ran her fingers through the fluffy, puffed feathers.  
  
"Tis is tickles, mistress," Persistence chirped.  
  
"That's what I was aiming for," Nikole laughed.  
  
"Hey, Ron. Hey, Harry," greeted a young, blonde girl. She looked at Nikole and gave out her hand, "Hermione Granger."  
  
"Uh, Nikole Piper," Nikole stammered, amused by the friendliness in her voice. She shook the hand given out to her. "Want to sit?"  
  
"Thank you." Hermione looked at the owl strangely.  
  
"Don't worry, he's been potty-trained." Nikole put Persistence's cage on the floor in front of her.  
  
"Rightly. Thanks." Hermione sat down and crossed her legs, her plaid skirt riding up above her knees. "You know, you guys should get dressed into your robes soon."  
  
"I'll go get dressed now," replied Nikole, putting Persistence back into his cage. With that, she stood and waved her hands down and to the side. Her old, raggedy gray shirt and loose blue jeans becoming into her 'robes' as Hermione put it; she looked down at the knee-high plaid skirt and crinkled her nose. "I don't like it."  
  
The three were speechless.  
  
"How did you do that?" asked Hermione.  
  
Okay, not all the three were speechless. *Back to the story*  
  
"Magic book of spells sixth edition." Nikole re-seated herself. "Do we have to wear skirts?"  
  
"Apparently so. How--you read the sixth edition?" Hermione looked at her.  
  
"Yup."  
  
"When?"  
  
"When I was bored out of my mind." Nikole played with her robe sleeve.  
  
"But, how'd you get it? The book I mean."  
  
"In the library." Nikole looked at Ron and Harry who were just staring, then at Hermione whose jaw was dropped. "What?"  
  
"Only seventh years read that in classes, is all," answered Ron.  
  
"Oh." Nikole looked down at the ground. "Is that a good thing?"  
  
"A good thing? Woman! You've read material that only graduates have!" exclaimed Ron.  
  
"Okay, I'm shutting up." And that ended all conversations among the four. 


	8. Off To A Bad Start

And that ended all conversation between the four until they stopped at Hogwarts where a tall, gigantic man dressed in brown, rather filthy robes walked out in front of the train. "Come on," he spoke in a loud, deep voice.  
  
"Whose that?" Nikole whispered, following the crowd of students into the castle.  
  
Harry cleared his throat. "That's Hagrid."  
  
"Who?" Nikole looked up at the giant.  
  
"Rubeous Hagrid. He's the grounds and keys keeper of Hogwarts." Harry walked quickly as to not get pushed or shoved out onto other students. "Come on then." He pushed her gently forward.  
  
"Oh," Nikole replied, not taking her eyes off the giant named Hagrid.  
  
In the castle  
  
Nikole's eyes wandered into the ceiling as she entered into the Great Hall. "This is so cool."  
  
Harry looked at her in the same, peaceful way he did. "Apparently."  
  
Nikole looked at him and bit her bottom lip and giggled. "Sorry if I'm being weird about this. It's just my first year." Harry smiled and Nikole felt her cheeks flush a light pink. "Where do I go exactly?"  
  
"Just stand in the front, Nikole."  
  
"Where'll you be?"  
  
"Sitting here," he replied, taking a seat at the long table. "This is the Gryffindor long table."  
  
"A house, right?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am," he laughed.  
  
The room silenced and a woman in a green robe holding a piece of parchment stood in the front of the room. "Geoffrey Higgins." Nikole watched carefully as a young man about ten or eleven walked up to the front and sat on a stool. The woman placed a hat on his head.  
  
The hat spoke. "Hufflepuff."  
  
Wow, Nikole thought to herself, a talking hat...cool.  
  
Everyone at a certain long table clapped and cheered. "Nikole Piper." The room instantly silenced. She heard murmurs and whispers from the tables and from the crowd behind her. Walking slowly, she sat on the stool. "Nice to meet you, Kathryn," the woman replied. Nikole stared at her, then furrowed her brows. The woman placed the hat on her head.  
  
"Ah, finally. I haven't seen you in ages, Lady Kathryn. What's been consuming your time?" asked the hat.  
  
"I'm not Kathryn," she spoke. "Who is she?"  
  
Everyone gasped.  
  
"What?" Nikole asked.  
  
The hat answered. "Lady Kathryn, your father was a famous professor at Hogwarts and your mother the greatest witch of all history. How is it you don't know your own name?"  
  
"What? My mother wasn't even a witch and my father was a wizard and was not a professor at Hogwarts. They didn't even come to Hogwarts cause they were from the States." Nikole looked around the room. "Did I miss something?"  
  
Everyone became quiet.  
  
"Yup, I definitely missed something." Nikole shifted uneasily on the stool. "So then tell me what I missed."  
  
No one answered.  
  
"Okay. This doesn't work. Just sort me, okay?" Nikole looked up at the hat on her head.  
  
"Yes, Lady Kathryn," it replied.  
  
"Stop calling me that," Nikole answered in a soft but firm voice.  
  
"Gryffindor," the hat barely whispered.  
  
The room was silent then gradually became filled with clapping. Nikole ungratefully jumped off the stool and walked to the long table. "Miss Piper?" Nikole turned around and looked at the woman. The woman continued, "Please sit next to Mr. Potter."  
  
Nikole obeyed. She slumped in her seat as the food appeared on the tables. "This is not going to be a good year," she mumbled to herself. She felt it and she knew it. But the same question ran through her head: 'Who the hell is Lady Kathryn?' 


	9. Her Fears Rise

Once in the Gryffindor common room, Nikole sat on the couch in front of the fire.  
  
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, sitting down next to her. "That was a bit off in there and you looked like you could use a friend or two." She placed a friendly arm on her shoulder.  
  
"I'm okay, considering the fact that I have no idea who I really am...if Lady Kathryn is who I really am. But it just doesn't make any to sense to me. They call me something I'm not and I would usually just shrug it off, but I cant."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because I'm in a completely different world compared to my own...I'm used to living in a half-muggle and half-magic but now I'm in a full-magic world. Now I don't understand every single thing that comes up." Nikole looked straight into the fire.  
  
Hermione sighed lightly. "It's alright, Nikole. Maybe it's just a misunderstanding. You are Nikole and maybe they were just thinking of another girl that may or may not look like you."  
  
Nikole looked up at her. "Thanks, Hermione. I appreciate it." She stood and sighed, rubbing her shoulders. "Don't worry about me, I'll be okay. I've fought off vampires and killed demons so finding out who I really am shouldn't be much of a difference." She cleared her throat and looked at Hermione hard. "Do you know who Lady Kathryn is?"  
  
Hermione looked away.  
  
"Oh my god, you do." Nikole sat back down. "Tell me."  
  
"I'm not sure I should," Hermione hesitated.  
  
Nikole continued her hard stare. "Hermione. If you know something about Lady Kathryn I need for you to tell me. Please. I could finally feel like I belong if you do."  
  
"Alright," Hermione gave in. "I'll tell you, but only if you promise not to wig out, promise?"  
  
"Promise."  
  
"Well, when Lady Kathryn was a young girl, about six or seven, her father had resigned from his teaching job at Hogwarts and her mother did the same. Legend has it, that they resigned because of an evil plot that included the death of their daughter, Lady Kathryn. Them being parents, they did what they thought was right for her.  
  
"After they had resigned, they left Hogwarts and also a note. The note said that Lady Kathryn would return and she would return with a destiny and an unknown past that she would never remember; and it would be up to the headmaster to revive her memory. It also said that her heart would be pure in sight and her thoughts would be piercing. Her eyes would be a bright brown and her hair nothing but wavy locks around her face.  
  
"They had not left England, but just Hogwarts and ran away to London in hopes and prospects to live in peace. But they were dead wrong. The evil plot's participator found them and killed them immediately. The child, Lady Kathryn, lived." Hermione paused and looked at Nikole.  
  
"How did she live?" Nikole asked, twiddling her thumbs.  
  
"Well, she was at her aunt's house during the killing, and was safely held until it came for the aunt." Hermione paused again and looked apologetically at Nikole. "Sorry, but that's all I know. I'm sorry."  
  
"It's okay, I'm sure I'll find out the rest from someone else."  
  
"That's the thing, Nikole. That's all anyone knows. No one knows the end..." Her voice trailed off, but she kept her steady gaze at Nikole.  
  
"What about the headmaster?"  
  
"He knows the same as we students. And that only."  
  
"But you said that the headmaster would revive her memory of it all," Nikole objected.  
  
"The headmaster that was meant to do so, died after her parents did." Hermione looked away and quickly added, "You should just leave any legend alone, Nikki. It's for your own good...not to mention all the other students her at Hogwarts that refuse to die from this evil thing."  
  
"So, you're saying that this 'thing' is still alive?"  
  
"Most likely, but you shouldn't worry, Nikole. As long as Dumbledore is here, we are all safe." Hermione was now twiddling her thumbs.  
  
Nikole didn't answer. She didn't want to answer. She had to face it: she asked and she got an answer, an answer she didn't want but got anyway. It hurt her. It ate her. It killed her...all of this came from one innocent answer by a friend. She wanted everything to be right again, when she didn't know about this Lady Kathryn and when she was happy and saved the world from evilness's grasps.  
  
Everything that had held her up in life now faded and she felt like death itself. She hated the feeling: knowing that she didn't know her real past...if it did exist.  
  
"Nikole?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You're crying." Hermione handed her a tissue.  
  
Nikole dabbed at her eyes and replied, "Thanks." Handing her a tissue didn't help her feel better, just the same. Her crying didn't stop. Her pain didn't cease. Her life didn't end. Her eyes didn't dry. Her fear hidden deep in the depths of her soul's crevices and trenches arose and struck her heart with such intensity that she almost jerked away from life itself. She didn't like it. She hated it. "I'm heading for bed." And upstairs she walked so she could cry herself to sleep. 


	10. The Stupid Little Chapter

Two weeks had passed, and Nikole still wasn't happy about Lady Kathryn, whoever the heck she was, but her classes were doing well and she enjoyed most of her teachers, except Professor Snape. Nikole shivered almost every class period she had with him as the teacher.  
  
Nikole looked down at her open Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook and continued reading the words, which to her contained no meaning whatsoever. Her thoughts about this Lady Kathryn legend thing were broken when young Ginny Weasely sat next to her.  
  
"Hey, Nikole."  
  
Nikole looked at her and smiled a small smile for Ginny's sake. "Hey."  
  
"Ooh, Defense Against the Dark Arts," Ginny astonished. "Edition?"  
  
"Edition something."  
  
"Is it tough?" Ginny asked, emptying her bag of books.  
  
"Professor what's-his-name is," Nikole replied.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because it seems to me he has no clue what he's doing. Last week, he almost killed Shamus with his Levitation spell." Nikole laughed. "He confused the words Chifara with Chifora."  
  
"What do those words mean anyway?"  
  
"Well, Chifara means fire and Chifora means float. Guess which one he used." Nikole started writing down notes on the text.  
  
Ginny laughed, "Chifara?"  
  
"Yeah." Nikole cleared her throat and silence hung in the air. "So, have you seen Hermione?"  
  
Hermione? Why is she asking me about Hermione? I hate her. She has a stupid crush on Harry, MY love. If it weren't for her, then I'd actually have a chance with Harry, but No! It's all because of her that I don't. Ugh. "No." Ginny's voice was a bit harsh, but Nikole didn't notice.  
  
"Oh, okay." Nikole's thoughts were still jumbled and unorganized that she didn't have time to even notice that Ginny had got up and left. Nikole sighed and continued reading.  
  
"Hey, Nikki," greeted a familiar and friendly voice. Nikole looked up and saw Harry.  
  
"Hey," she replied, scooting over to make some space for Harry.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
Nikole nodded. "Why?"  
  
"It's just that you haven't spoken to me since you first came to Hogwarts, is all."  
  
"Oh, Harry, I'm sorry. I guess I've just been so busy, I haven't even noticed my friends..." her voice trailed off.  
  
Harry nodded understandingly. "I understand."  
  
Nikole looked into his eyes and smiled. "You do?"  
  
"Yes. I've been quite busy myself too," he answered and sat down. "You still have homework?"  
  
"Yeah, um, yeah. Actually, its just extra for, you know, extra credit." Nikole looked down into her book and added, "Also notes for tomorrow's class...just in case of an emergency."  
  
"Emergency?"  
  
"You know, the Chamber of Secrets has been reopened or vampires somehow entered Hogwarts...I'd be ready." Nikole smiled and uneasy smile. "You probably think I'm a complete dork now, don't you?"  
  
"No, not at all," he laughed. "Did you find out who Lady Kathryn is?"  
  
Nikole's smiled disappeared. "No," she hesitated. "No, I didn't."  
  
"I'm sorry," he interjected quickly.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For bringing up the matter. It wasn't necessary."  
  
"Actually, it was...cause I needed the reality check that this Lady Kathryn chic couldn't possibly be me." Nikole closed her books and gathered her things. "I'll see you at dinner," she replied, standing and walking away.  
  
"Where are you going?" he asked, following.  
  
"Library. I need to find out what power this Lady Kathryn has over me."  
  
"Maybe I could help," he replied. Nikole stopped in her tracks, allowing Harry to catch up. "Did I say something wrong?"  
  
"No." Nikole searched his eyes. "You want to help me?"  
  
"Yeah, that's what friends do, isn't it?"  
  
"I guess, but don't you have a Quidditch match, game, or something?" Nikole asked, shifting her books to her right hand.  
  
"Yeah...I do, but I can cancel it myself."  
  
"Stop right there. You have a game, so go to it. I have a problem, so I'll go and solve it."  
  
"Do you even want me to help you?"  
  
"Yeah. I want everyone to help me, but you have a game and I'm not planning to have someone cancel things because of my problems." Nikole looked at the ground. "So, just go to your game, okay?"  
  
Harry nodded. "Okay." He paused and looked into her eyes. "You're not like most girls are you?"  
  
"You haven't noticed?" Nikole laughed. "You better get your gear set for the game."  
  
"Yeah," Harry agreed. "Will you be there? At the game, I mean."  
  
"Cheering you on," Nikole answered. Harry smiled and Nikole felt as if she was going to melt. Harry waved her a goodbye and left toward the Quidditch room. Sighing, Nikole walked off to the Gryffindor dorms. 


	11. The Runin With A Malfoy

"Any news?" asked Hermione, sitting down next to her in the dimly fire-lit Gryffindor common room.  
  
Nikole looked up from the book and smiled. She was glad that Hermione wanted to help, but wasn't quite sure if she should be helping. "Not yet."  
  
"I was at the library today and I think I might've found a book that could help you," Hermione replied, removing a rather thick book-the width the size of the palm of your hand. "Feel free to browse through it."  
  
"Uh, thanks...uh, do you wanna help?"  
  
"Sure, I'd love to," Hermione started. She stared down at the novel-size book in her hand and laughed. "This is a really big book."  
  
"No duh," Nikole chuckled. "We better start reading."  
  
"I'll go get my magnifying glass," Hermione stated, standing up and heading for the girls' dorm.  
  
Nikole nodded and buried herself into the book. 'Lady Kathryn is said to be beautiful, with eyes like the sun and hair with dark, smooth locks; her eyes can kill you and her soul is dreadfully hollow of love and thick- headedness, but instead is filled with wonder, sorrow, and kindness.' What on earth? She thought to herself.  
  
{Christmas is coming and Ron is getting fat.}  
  
The Thanksgiving dinner was just downright plentiful and everyone had gone to bed a few pounds heavier than when they were that morning...everyone except Nikole.  
  
Nikole walked onto the Quidditch pitch, the sun was warm and the wind was but a cool, soft breeze. She loved it there...she just felt peaceful when she was the only one there. Sitting down, she removed the book from her coat pocket and began reading. It wasn't long before she heard footsteps from behind her. She quickly stood and turned around; what she saw didn't make her happy.  
  
"Hey, mud-blood." It was Draco Malfoy. "What are you doing down here?"  
  
"First of all, I ain't no mud-blood, and secondly, I'm here because I am." Nikole placed her book back in her pocket and crossed her arms. "What do you want?"  
  
He took a few steps closer so that his face was practically five inches from hers. "To say something." He made a move to place his hands on her waist, but re-thought it and didn't.  
  
{Draco's POV}  
  
She has the most beautiful eyes...even more beautiful than Hermione's. Why did she have to come when I was about to ask about Hermione...never mind.  
  
{Nikole's POV}  
  
What the hell is he looking at? It better not be my chest.  
  
{My POV}  
  
"Well?" Nikole asked. "What did you wanna say?"  
  
Draco moved a little closer and this time he did place his hands on her waist. "Well-"  
  
"Let go of me!" Nikole pushed him off, causing him to land on his butt. "I may be a chic, but don't try your moves on me!"  
  
"Sorry," he replied sarcastically, standing.  
  
She crossed her arms and spat out, "What do you want Malfoy?"  
  
"Just to talk." He moved a little closer and Nikole backed away.  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Anything, it doesn't really matter to me, as long as we talk," he murmured. "Unless, you mind."  
  
'Oh, I mind alright.' "No," Nikole narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't mind."  
  
He cleared his throat. "Well, we sorta need a caddy on the field for our next Quidditch game and I thought..." his voice trailed off.  
  
"And you thought that I wouldn't mind?"  
  
"Right."  
  
"Ha. Well, guess what, Malfoy? I'm a Gryffindor and I'm not planning on helping you in any way possible. So, why don't you go back inside and dream about Hermione Granger, your love interest?"  
  
'How'd she know,' Draco thought.  
  
"Oh, I know lotsa things, Malfoy."  
  
Draco took a few steps back. "Can you read my mind?"  
  
"First of all, it's called telepathy and secondly, yes, I can."  
  
"Omigod!" Draco ran back into the castle and Nikole just cocked her head to the side.  
  
"My day just got so much better." Nikole smiled and went inside the castle, too. "Who knew pretending to be telepathic could be so much fun?" 


	12. The Lie

"Happy Christmas, Nikole," greeted Sir Nicholas as he flew past her and into the wall. Nikole nodded her thanks and walked away.  
  
Christmas. Christmas had always made Nikole smile at least once on that well-celebrated day. But, this year was different. She had been called Lady Kathryn, she had met the Boy-Who-Lived, she had spoken to different animals, but she hadn't known why she had done all those things in less than a year. It troubled her. Her mind wandered into these thoughts when Ron and Hermione were walking and just happened to see her.  
  
"Why, hello, Nikole," Hermione smiled. "Happy Christmas."  
  
"Yeah, Happy Christmas, Nikole," Ron echoed.  
  
"Happy Christmas," Nikole's voice was less than a whisper.  
  
Hermione stopped walking and so did Ron. "Are you alright, Nikole?"  
  
"Compared to the days after my first day, no." Nikole managed a small smile as she walked outside, Hermione and Ron following.  
  
"What's wrong this time?" whined Ron. "Can we please just go on inside for some turkey? I'm starving!"  
  
Oliver Wood was just about to come inside the castle when he heard Ron. "Oh, quit your bellyaching man!" He stopped in his tracks and followed the three back outside. "You've got to have more than food on your mind every second!"  
  
"I wish," Ron agreed. "So, Nikole, what's wrong?"  
  
Oliver, Hermione, and Ron all looked at her, waiting for an answer. "I don't know, I guess, it's because of all that's already happened." She cleared her throat. "Cause I'm usually happy at this time of year."  
  
"It's alright, now. Nikole, things just happen." Hermione coughed, the cold was obviously getting to her.  
  
"Herm, you should go inside," Nikole suggested. "You too, Ron, I don't want you to get a chill out here either."  
  
"Um, all right that is, if it's okay with you," Hermione replied.  
  
"It's fine, Herm. Now go on." Nikole watched as Ron and Hermione made their way through the snow and into the castle. She turned to Oliver. "You should go on in, too, you know."  
  
"I'm fine out here," he smiled. "Besides, I just love being outdoors." Nikole just nodded. She looked ahead and toward the Dark Forest. "Have been in the Dark Forest, Oliver?"  
  
He laughed sarcastically. "No! Are you kidding? No one is allowed in there."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Oliver looked at her. "Why what?"  
  
"Why are we not allowed in there?"  
  
"Oh no, you're not going in there, not on my dead body." Oliver grasped her by the shoulders. "You're not, do you understand me?"  
  
Nikole nodded, but was still persistent. "Why can't we?"  
  
"Because," he began, letting go of her shoulders. "Because they are werewolves and other evil things in there."  
  
"And amazingly enough, they built a school right next to it," Nikole remarked. "What about vampires? Are they in there too?"  
  
"I've heard they are, but are scared to come out with Dumbledore here."  
  
Nikole cocked her head to the side and sighed. "Should I go on and kill them?"  
  
"So, its true. You are the girl who kills vampires when all of us are dead asleep." Oliver looked into her brown eyes. He saw a beauty and determination in them that he'd never seen in anyone before.  
  
Nikole blushed. "Pretty much." She looked back into the Dark Forest. "Should I?"  
  
"You should be asking Dumbledore or Hagrid this, but, if you want my opinion, I'll tell you."  
  
Nikole looked at him. "I want your opinion, Oliver."  
  
He cleared his throat. "I don't think you should go in there, but far be it from me to tell you not to kill the things you need to kill."  
  
Nodding, Nikole sighed. "I guess, but I'm still going in."  
  
"You should ask Dumbledore first," he persisted.  
  
"I know. I will...later." Nikole looked up into his eyes one more time. "I promise." She shivered a little and added, "You best be going inside now, it looks like it's about to snow again." "You should come with me." He pulled her arm, but Nikole did not move. "Nikole, come on!"  
  
"You go ahead. I'll go on and ask Hagrid." Nikole pulled away from him and ran towards Hagrid's cottage. She stood in front of the door and turned around. Oliver was gone. She removed the stake from her coat pocket and ran to the Dark Forest. She figured that no one would see her go in, and Hagrid wouldn't mind. She was doing for the safety of the school and its pupils. Pushing a branch of an evergreen from her face, she went in.  
  
Inside the castle, a lowly, shadowed figure watched her enter into the woods. Iwthin seconds of seeing her enter, it turned into mist and was no doubt at all heading for the exact same spot he wanted her to be lead into: Bizhern's Lair. 


	13. Daisy

The sun was setting as Nikole stepped over underbrush and under fallen branches. She could scarcely see when the sun was up in the sky, but now with its light leaving, she could barely even see anything within two inches of her face. "Lacarnum Inflamare!" she whispered, and a little ball of fire appeared in her outstretched palm. "Much better," she prided to herself. She looked to the ball and chanted, "Ye have come this far by me, to come with many more times three!" And, instantly, the fireball divided, like a cell going under mitosis, into three individual fireballs. "Now, search and strangle far and wide to find the source of lives divide." The fireballs fled in three different directions, north, east and west.  
  
She heard a twig snap behind her and she turned. She couldn't see, now that the sun had set and the balls of fire had fled like a vampire from the sun. She could hear footsteps now. Clear, crisp footsteps, but she couldn't quite tell how many, but it sounded like four pairs, if not two. She crouched down near the ground and whispered, "Lacarnum Inflamare." A ball of fire appeared in front of Nikole and she could clearly see what was behind her. It was a spider. The biggest spider she had ever seen in her life. She was about to scream when the spider spoke softly.  
  
"Why, hello, young lady. I'm Daisy. Who are you?" It spoke these words evenly, no emotion running with them.  
  
"Um, I'm Nikole. Nikole Piper." Nikole took a step back.  
  
"No need to fear me, Nikole. I'm quite friendly. I haven't eaten a human in years!"  
  
"Does that mean you wanna eat me because you've hadn't had one in years, or was that sentence supposed to be an encouragement that won't eat me?"  
  
Daisy giggled. "I wont eat you dear."  
  
Nikole sighed that sigh of relief and most of her fear had left her body. "Good."  
  
"Although, my brothers and sisters might."  
  
Nikole gasped. "Oh joy. Something to look forward to."  
  
"Don't worry, Nikole. I wont let them harm you."  
  
Nikole stared at Daisy suspiciously. "You sure?"  
  
"Yes, Nikole. I'm sure."  
  
"Thanks." Nikole cleared her throat. "Um, are there vampires in the Dark Forest?"  
  
Daisy replied, "Yes."  
  
"Can you show me where?" "Just walk north."  
  
Nikole turned around and asked, "Where is your nest of family?"  
  
"East. Don't go east." Daisy turned to the east and began to walk away.  
  
"Thanks, Daisy," Nikole called after her.  
  
"Welcome, Nikole. I wont tell them you're here." Daisy continued on her way, leaving Nikole all by herself with the fireball.  
  
Sighing, Nikole walked toward the north direction, the fireball directly in front of her. It zoomed forward and zigzagged, just like a snitch would. She sighed and continued following it.  
  
{Nearly two hours later}  
  
Nikole had been walking and following the fireball for nearly two hours now. It was pitch black. She couldn't see much but the four feet in front and behind the fireball. She heard another twig snap from...in front of her. No one was following her...apparently she'd been following someone else. "Telepathia," she whispered. The fireball immediately disappeared as Nikole stepped closer.  
  
She could see a dim light up ahead. She paused, looking around and listening. She heard and saw nothing but the dim lighting up ahead. "Great," she murmured to herself. "Just great." She walked silently toward the light and felt her surroundings. She felt rocks. "Great. I'm in a cave. Of all hiding places, they had to choose a cave," she murmured. She walked deeper inside and saw a wooden desk with a chair and a lamp, which was the cause of the dim light.  
  
"Welcome to my home, Piper."  
  
Nikole turned and saw something she never wanted to see. She saw a man. "Who are you?"  
  
"Tom Marvolo Riddle, my dear." 


	14. I Thought He Was Dead

"Hold on, I thought you were dead?"  
  
"I have friends who actually love me." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Did Mr. Potter miss me?"  
  
"So, you're saying that people rose you from the dead?" Nikole asked, clutching her stake tightly in her hands behind her back. She stepped away from him.  
  
"Why, your just the smartest thing on earth, aren't you?" he laughed.  
  
"Maybe," she cut her eyes at him. "Why are you here?"  
  
"To make your lives a living hell, dear." He stepped closer and said, "Nikole Piper."  
  
Nikole's fear came back. "How do you know my name?" Nikole swung a punch at him, but he caught her arm.  
  
He took the stake from her and snapped it in half. "I've been watching you."  
  
"You've been watching me?" Nikole tried to wrench her way out of his grasp but he was too strong.  
  
He pulled her closer to him so that his face was only three inches away from hers. "Yes. Remember the shark?"  
  
Nikole stared at him. "You? You were that Great White that tried to kill me?"  
  
He pushed her against the wall. "I should've killed you."  
  
Nikole landed on her hands and knees, he robes already torn. She stumbled onto her feet. "Should've? Then why didn't you?"  
  
"Because that stupid little rock of yours crashed into my face, little missy!" he yelled and spat. "In case you forgot."  
  
Nikole was breathing heavily now. Her teeth were clenched and she wanted to run far. "So kill me now then, Riddle! Kill me now!"  
  
He took a step closer. "I'd do that, Piper, but I can't."  
  
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"  
  
He smiled a sly and wicked smile. "Well, Piper, I was supposed to kill you when you met Mr. Potter, cause that was your day to die in my book."  
  
"When I met Mr. Potter?" Nikole gulped.  
  
"Yes, mistress," he impersonated Bo.  
  
Nikole gasped. "You-you're Bo? You were my friend for three years just so you could kill me at the end?"  
  
"Not at all, dear. I was friend with you so I could learn all your weaknesses and strengths. Maybe a few secrets here and there, but no harm done."  
  
"No harm done-" she was cut off.  
  
"Exactly. But Mr. Potter had to come and save the day like he always does."  
  
"And the sharks?"  
  
He laughed. "I took over the leader of the pack when it was your turn to swim." He laughed once more. "I even tried to kill you with rain! Thought the flu would kill you." She remembered. She remembered when it rained when she came into Harry's home. "But Mr. Potter just had to save your little rear again."  
  
"Vampires?" she asked.  
  
"Very simple dear. All the ones that had attacked you all this time, worked for me. It was my debonair plan to lure you in here. I knew you'd want to save the world again, Piper. I knew it." He cleared his throat and looked outside. "Isn't that right, Daisy?" he called.  
  
"Daisy?" Nikole whispered as the tears started to fall.  
  
Daisy appeared at the mouth of the cave, her head bowed. "Yes, Master." Her voice was shaky as she said those two words.  
  
"Right," he smugly smiled. "Now run along then!" he ordered, and Daisy trotted back to where she had come from. "Wasn't that nice of her, Piper? To bring you here into my wonderful establishment of death?"  
  
"Why the hell did you want me killed?" Nikole asked her voice muffled.  
  
"Because, Piper, when I had killed your parents, they made sure you were hidden."  
  
"You killed my parents?"  
  
"That's right, Lady Kathryn." 


	15. Lady Who?

"You know something about Lady Kathryn?" Nikole asked. "Who is she?"  
  
"Look in the mirror, dear," he replied, walking toward the desk. Nikole saw this as her chance. She ran for the mouth of the cave, but Tom blocked it. "Block her!" he yelled, pointing his wand at the exit.  
  
The once exit was now a rock wall. "No," Nikole gasped.  
  
"Now you don't think that I'd let my favorite god daughter out that easy do you?" He laughed as he opened the drawer. He removed something long and shiny and instantly Nikole knew what it was. It was a sword.  
  
"Your favorite god daughter?" she asked. Then her attention went back to the sword in his hands when he didn't answer. "What are you planning to do with that?"  
  
He laughed. "What do you think? To kill you with, my dear."  
  
"Why did you want me dead in the first place, Riddle?" Nikole practically spat.  
  
"Because, Piper, your father was my best friend during school. And I'm your godfather, child. I can do whatever I wish with you. And I choose to dispose of you." He smiled.  
  
"Why'd you kill my parents?" Nikole stared at the sword in his hands.  
  
"Because they had a wonderful amount of money. I wanted it. But first I had to get rid of all of you Parkers." Nikole ran for the sword, but he stooped it up above her reach, causing her to run into the wall. "Nice try, Piper."  
  
Nikole had to get out. She had to. She didn't know how. But she remembered a spell and was feared for her life. "Teleportia Hinderia!"  
  
"No! Six by the power of one is no match for witch's son!" Tom was too late. Nikole was gone. "No!" Tom yelled, falling onto his knees.  
  
In The Castle  
  
"Do you think-" Harry was cut off. Someone landed on him, pushing him off the couch and onto the ground.  
  
"Harry!" Ron and Hermione yelled, standing up from their seats on the couches.  
  
Nikole opened her eyes and she was on top of Harry. She was in a state of shock until she remembered the sight of Tom Riddle. Struggling, she stood and helped him up. "Sorry, Harry."  
  
"What happened?" asked Hermione, brushing Nikole off. "Are you alright?"  
  
"No! I'm not okay! I just saw..." her voice trailed off.  
  
"Who'd you see, Nikole?" Ron asked, sitting back down.  
  
She didn't answer right away. She wiped the tears from her face and replied, "Tom Riddle."  
  
"What!" Harry exclaimed. "I killed that psycho last year!"  
  
"He has his ways, Harry. He told me that someone, or some people, rose him from the dead." She cleared her throat. "He killed my parents. He knows who Lady Kathryn is. He's....he's my godfather, Harry."  
  
"What?" all three of them exclaimed.  
  
Nikole just nodded. "I went into the Dark Forest today-" Ron cut her off.  
  
"Woman! You're not supposed to go in there!" Ron interrupted.  
  
Nikole, ignoring his rudeness, continued, "And I saw Daisy-" This time, it was Hermione who cut her off.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"She's just this really big spider," Nikole answered, sitting down. Hermione just nodded and Ron gulped. "Anyway, she told me to go north and I did. But when I got there, there was this cave and Tom Riddle was inside and he tried to kill me-" Ron cut her off again.  
  
"Everyone tries to kill you woman," he muttered.  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes at him as Nikole continued. "He told me that I am Lady Kathryn and that he's my godfather...I'm so scared." She stood and shivered a bit.  
  
Harry, who had been silent the whole time, was standing by the window and staring out into the Dark Forest. "What does this have to do with Daisy?"  
  
"She worked for him," Nikole whispered.  
  
Harry set a sympathetic stare on his friend. "Sorry, Nikki."  
  
"It's alright." She sighed and rubbed her shoulders, for it was practically thirty degrees below zero, seeing as how the snow was still falling.  
  
Harry saw this and walked toward her. He removed his robe and placed it on her shoulders. "Here," he said. "It's rather cold, isn't it?"  
  
Nikole smiled at him. "Yeah, uh, thanks."  
  
Ron rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on you two lovebirds! Just get back to the point!"  
  
Nikole blushed and said, "Right. Well, he said that he'd been watching me."  
  
Harry looked at her, a fearful expression on his face. "What?"  
  
Nikole nodded. "He's been watching me...Harry, remember Bo?"  
  
"The one at the zoo?" he asked.  
  
Nikole nodded. "Yup. Tom Riddle is Bo, Harry. He wanted to learn my strengths and weaknesses so that when we fought, he'd know what and what not to do." She looked at the ground. "I can't believe this," she whispered. She looked up after a few seconds and asked, "Also the time when the Great White attacked me?"  
  
"Yeah...what about it?"  
  
Nikole sighed. "Well, he was the Great White." She cleared her throat. "And remember back a ways when I stopped by your house because it was pouring rain?"  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"He had made it rain."  
  
Hermione spoke up. "But, why does he want to kill you? You didn't do anything wrong, did you?"  
  
Nikole sighed. "No, I didn't. But he claimed that my parents had a large amount of money hidden somewhere and he wanted it. So, he killed my parents...but couldn't find me."  
  
"Sad is what it is," Ron mumbled.  
  
Nikole cut her eyes at him. "Gee, ya think?"  
  
Ron's eyes widened. "You heard me?"  
  
"Yeah, I heard you," Nikole remarked. "I...I have to go."  
  
"Nikole!" Harry called after her and followed. She didn't want to turn around...but most of all, she didn't want to look into the eyes of the person who truly cared, for that was someone Nikole had never known...until now. 


	16. The Intruder

"Nikole!" Harry yelled.  
  
Nikole continued running. Tears were streaming down her face. She couldn't believe this. In only one night she'd been betrayed by a huge arachnid; almost killed by her long-lost, serial killer of a godfather; finally found a real person who really cared for her; running away from her friends; disobeyed Oliver; everything! For all she knew, a gigantic shoe would fly off into the night and marry a goldfish from the moon!  
  
"Nikole!" Harry yelled again.  
  
Nikole opened a door by its rusty, metal handle, and ran inside into the darkness. Nikole had been here before. This was what she called Vampire's Cavern, because vampires used to use this passageway often to get into the castle. Filch, the caretaker, had lent her the Marauder's Map to block out some of the secret tunnels that are not known by anyone.  
  
She ran her fingers across the cold, hard stone. She could barely see her own nose! Harry's footsteps could be heard behind her. She ran into the basement room. Not bothering to shut the door behind her, she ran and dived onto the old, green, faded, three-setter couch.  
  
Harry followed her inside and fell onto the ground after shutting it. "Nikole!" he gasped. "Nikole! Are you okay?"  
  
Nikole wiped her face with her sleeve. "I'm fine."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"I said so, didn't I?" Nikole snapped. "Please, just let me be, Harry. I need to sort things out, okay?"  
  
"Nikole, you could die because of this Tom Riddle, do you understand? I'm not letting you out of my sight, do you hear me?" Harry's face underwent a serious look.  
  
Nikole said nothing. Harry assumed she agreed.  
  
Harry got up and looked around the basement.  
  
Messily scrawled handwriting covered torn parchments, which had turned yellow and brown with age. Opened inkbottles sat next to the sheets of parchment on the wooden, century-old desk, which stood to the left of the couch. A dartboard hung on the wall by the desk with darts sticking from every which way gravity allowed. Architectural graphs were taped onto the wall above the desk right beside a clock, which was very much like the one at Ron's house, only, instead of students, they were teachers and vampires and demons. A small window parallel from the door was at the top of the basement's main wall. Condensation took over the outside of the plastic window, which was open a crack of an inch. A bookshelf at the far corner (to the right of the couch) stood next to another desk was filled with books. Opened books littered the dark cherry desk, along with more parchment and inkbottles and quills. Candles hung all along the walls in brackets. Chairs, which were only two, sat by the desks. A huge trunk was open underneath the window and was filled with stakes, bows with arrows, boxing gloves, knee pads and elbow pads, roller blades, four swords in sheaths, a baseball cap, leather gloves, hunting leather boots, six daggers, a metal helmet, and a pair of brass knuckles.  
  
"So," Harry started. "You come here often?"  
  
Nikole had stopped crying and was now sitting down at her desk under the architectural graphs, writing and scribbling on parchment. Her quill was old, for it was a light beige color.  
  
"Often enough," she replied, standing and going over to the bookshelf. "You?"  
  
"Nah, I'm sort of new," Harry said with a laugh. He followed her toward the bookshelf and scanned the titles. Nikole walked in front of him and pulled a book of the shelf and placed it onto the table. She sat down in the chair and turned the pages. "Um," Harry started. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Looking for followers of Voldemort," Nikole said not looking up at him.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Any sign of whoever could've risen that psycho nut who just happens to be my godfather that killed my family." Nikole stood again and brought the book with her over to the desk. She pulled out some parchment and continued to scribble her plans.  
  
{Two weeks later}  
  
Nikole appeared from the staircase, carrying a load of books.  
  
"Hello, Nikole," Hermione greeted with a smile.  
  
Nikole looked up. "Oh, hey."  
  
"Are you still looking on how to kill this Riddle person?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"I wish I could help you, Nikole," Hermione said. "I really do! But I just haven't the time...."  
  
"Understandable." Nikole blew a strand of hair from her face.  
  
"Are you having any trouble?"  
  
"You could say that."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, out of all my books, I can't find a thing and-"  
  
"Well, that does seem like a problem, now doesn't it?"  
  
"I'm not done."  
  
"Oh." Hermione cleared her throat. "Go on."  
  
"I've read all of my books...and I seem to be missing one. It's odd really. No one's been in that room besides me for centuries! Harry is an exception. The door has an enchantment thing on it that can read my fingerprints and only I can come in-"  
  
"Sorry, but, if only you can come in...then how'd Harry get in?" Hermione asked.  
  
Nikole stopped. How /did/ Harry get in? Let's see...she ran inside and dived onto the couch...then Harry came in...the door was open! She had left it open! But then...how could...the door was open when she had ran in! Someone had been there and had left in a hurry! The window...was it open? Nikole explained her theory to Hermione with anticipation.  
  
"Oh dear..." Hermione gasped. "But, how did they get in?"  
  
"I don't know, Herm. I don't know." Nikole looked up. "Come on, we need to talk to Harry!" 


	17. The Dragon Holds The Blade

"Harry!" Nikole gasped as she and Hermione entered the library. Harry was sitting at a table on the farthest corner, deeply interested in a certain red book.  
  
"There he is," Hermione pointed out.  
  
"I see him," Nikole replied. "Come on." Nikole tugged at Hermione's arm and dragged her toward the table.  
  
Harry looked up and saw the girls. He waved innocently then continued his reading.  
  
"Hi, Harry," Nikole said, sitting down across from him. Hermione still stood. "Hermione," Nikole started, "sit."  
  
"Oh, right," Hermione replied, a bit exasperated, sitting down.  
  
"May I help you?" Harry asked sarcastically.  
  
"Did you take a book from that dungeon that you followed me into?" asked Nikole. She looked over at Hermione, who was busy reading the back cover of Harry's book.  
  
"No," Harry said, shaking his head. "Why?"  
  
"Because I'm missing one." Nikole leaned back into her chair and sighed.  
  
"So?" Harry asked.  
  
"It's the book that will help me kill that psychopathic godfather of mine, remember?" Nikole buried her face in her hands. "This cannot be happening," she mumbled into her hands.  
  
Hermione studied Harry's book. "Nikole?" she asked curiously.  
  
"What?" Nikole asked, her voice muffled from her hands.  
  
"What was the title of that book?"  
  
"It didn't have one, Herms. It used to, but the words used to be bright and golden, then it sort of faded. Now its just this red book with golden marks on the cover," she mumbled.  
  
"Were there words on the back?"  
  
"Yeah. It was a summary I guess."  
  
Hermione wondered if the book that Harry held in his hands was the exact book Nikole was searching for. It had golden markings on the front, a summary on the back, and it was red and huge. Could it? Most likely, yes; but then, how did Harry get it? Did he steal it? Was he framed? Harry wouldn't steal...or would he? "No!" Hermione yelled inside as she mentally slapped herself. Harry wouldn't steal. He wouldn't! Hermione decided to ask.  
  
"Harry?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Yes?" Harry said, looking up from the book.  
  
"Where did you get that book from?"  
  
"It was on my bed stand this morning with a letter that said, 'Read me.'"  
  
Nikole looked up. "What? Let me see that book, Harry."  
  
"No!" Harry yelled. "It's mine!"  
  
"Harry," Nikole gasped. "Did you steal that book from the dungeon?"  
  
"Yes-I mean, no!" Harry answered, standing up, holding the book close to him.  
  
"You stole it, Harry? How could you?" Nikole spat, standing up as well.  
  
"I stole it because I wanted to!" Harry answered.  
  
"You bloody bastard!"  
  
"What did you call me?" Harry's once soft, green eyes turned a catlike green. They had such a blinding glow. The corners of his pupils turned an evil shade of red. His voice fell into an octave lower. "What did you call me?"  
  
"Harry," Hermione started. "What the hell is wrong with you?"  
  
"Shut up! I wasn't asking you now was I?"  
  
Hermione took a few steps back.  
  
"Answer me, Slayer!" he spat out at Nikole.  
  
"No," Nikole gasped. Fear clutched her heart. Her mind was telling her to run, but her soul was telling her to stay to help the boy she...she loved. "Harry? What's wrong with you?"  
  
Harry seemed agitated. He roared like a lion and slapped Hermione with the back of his hand and she flew out of the library. Immediately, the library doors closed and were locked. It was just Harry and Nikole left to fight the battle of the hour, not their lives. 


	18. Eyes Of The Devil

"Harry," Nikole gasped. "This cannot be happening," Nikole thought. "He didn't just hit Hermione and throw her outside; he didn't just call me Slayer; he didn't!"  
  
Harry changed. He physically changed. He grew to about half the size of a dragon. Fire was seeping from his mouth when he breathed. Smoke came from his fingers. His fingernails, they had grown long and sickly. His eyes-oh his eyes! They had gone from they're wonderful care and had become a catlike green with red. His scar had changed from its thin structure into a deep incision. Blood came from it. His face was distorted. Was this the evil that she had been warned against?  
  
"Answer me, Slayer!" Harry spat out fire and hit Nikole right in her left side. "Ha!" Harry yelled in triumph as Nikole fell to the floor, clutching her side. "Not so strong now, huh, Slayer?"  
  
Nikole narrowed her eyes at him. "Lovemous Battleous!" Nikole yelled. She raised her hand openly in the air. Suddenly, a sword materialized in her palm. She pointed it right at him. "Don't make me do this, Harry," she warned.  
  
"I'm not making you do anything, Slayer," he breathed.  
  
"Who are you?" Nikole asked.  
  
"Your worst nightmare," he replied.  
  
"Stand back you fiend!" the librarian yelled, pointing her walking stick at him.  
  
"God," Harry mumbled, rolling his eyes at the poor woman. He picked her up and threw her out the window.  
  
"You cold-blooded ass." Nikole stepped back, the sword still pointed at Harry.  
  
"Thank you, thank you very much," he breathed.  
  
Now he looked like a dragon. His wings began to spread as he looked evilly at Nikole.  
  
She had nothing to do. It was either kill or be killed. But she couldn't kill Harry with a sword! A) It wouldn't work because it was the size of a toothpick to him. B) Nikole didn't want to kill him. C) She needed that book that Harry held so near his fire-flaring mouth. And stabbing mercilessly might cause him to yell from pain, making his fire breathing destroy that book.  
  
Nikole looked around. Anything she could throw at him? No. Was there anything for her to hide behind? No. This was a lose-lose situation. If she stabbed him, his fire would destroy the book. If she didn't fight, she'd die. "How bloody dandy," Nikole thought.  
  
She looked around once more as Harry took a deadly step closer to her. The window! It was broken! She could jump out that way-just hope that no one was outside at the moment.  
  
She made a run for it.  
  
Harry roared like fourteen lions as he saw her run. "No!"  
  
She ran fast, sword in hand. She ran and jumped. She didn't stop to see how far down it was. She just jumped. She jumped headfirst.  
  
Harry was right behind her.  
  
Nikole placed her sword in front of her so that it would help decrease the impact. And it did. The sword dug into the ground as Nikole did a backflip once it made contact.  
  
Now she was standing on her feet, without a sword.  
  
She winced. The pain from her side was coming back. It felt like fire was dancing around in her guts. It was repulsively painful. Blood stained the hand that she had used to keep her side together.  
  
Harry stood in front of her, smiling evilly. Smoke and fire escaped from his wretched nose. His eyes danced with pleasure of seeing her in pain. He took a step closer, stepping and completely crushing the sword.  
  
Nikole gulped with fear.  
  
"Well, well, Slayer. Let's just say, you can run, but you can't hide." As he said this, he began to shrink into his normal body and his normal size. Now he was Harry, only with the eyes of the devil. "If I were you, I'd run."  
  
And run she did. She ran straight into the Forbidden Forest.  
  
Now, now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that she did this in order to get away from him so he wouldn't hurt her. Actually, she was running into the Forest to help keep away any attention to them from the students and for their protection. She was also hoping that something bigger and stronger would just pop from the Forest and kill Harry.  
  
No such luck.  
  
He was just too fast. He tackled her to the ground, so that he was on top. "Nice try, Slayer," he said. He pinned her hands above her head and smiled at her.  
  
"Get off me!" she screamed at him. She wriggled and squirmed underneath him, but he was just too strong. "Why can't I just push him off?" she thought. "I'm the Slayer. I have the strength-unless he has the strength of the only one who was stronger than her: Kilomanjaro, the Eyes of the Devil."  
  
Harry smirked. He had won. He leaned over and kissed her hard.  
  
Nikole was in shock. Mr. Evil had kissed her and is still kissing her. She had to admit, it wasn't that bad-but still. It was Mr. Evil.  
  
Harry broke off, and was breathing hard. Their eyes were locked for the longest time.  
  
"Nice kiss," Harry said, breaking the silence.  
  
"Ditto," Nikole answered sassily. "Now get off me." Nikole continued to wriggle beneath him, but she just wouldn't budge.  
  
"Never, Lady Kathryn."  
  
Nikole looked up and the flames in his eyes continued to rampage through his red pupils. "What?" she asked.  
  
"Lady Kathryn will never live."  
  
"Ya sure about that?"  
  
"Like hell."  
  
"Dead wrong." 


	19. Pain and Slumber

"I'm never wrong, Slayer," Harry whispered into her ear. His voice made her shiver, and he smiled as she did. "Did you like that?" he smirked, whispering into her ear once more.  
  
She shivered again and this time he chuckled. "I'm winning, aren't I?" he asked, inches from her face. He moved his hands to her sides, and smiled as she jumped in response. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"  
  
"Get off me," Nikole said through gritted teeth. Her hands were free; she tried pushing him off, but he wouldn't budge.  
  
"It's okay, baby," Harry soothed, rubbing her sides gently. "I'm here."  
  
"Well, doesn't that give me so much comfort?" Nikole asked sarcastically.  
  
He smirked. "It better," he said.  
  
"Well it doesn't."  
  
"Oh.You hurt my feelings."  
  
"I better have," Nikole spat.  
  
"Don't raise your voice to me, witch," Harry threatened.  
  
"Stupid. I thought I was the Slayer?" Nikole retorted, her mind jumbled. 'I need a plan! Or a spell,' she thought. 'Christ! Where's Hermione when you need her?'  
  
"Ooh, testy aren't we?"  
  
As his bad, garbage breath hit her face; she remembered something in a book of spells she had read a few years ago: Maimahas! This spell could teleport any evil thing-a-ma-jig to the most powerful sorcerer in the perimeter. "Maimahas!" Nikole yelled.  
  
And, as instantly as Harry had become evil, he vanished, leaving Nikole in the Dark Forest lying on her back; she sighed.  
  
Slowly, she stood, the shock of the attack going through her body and trying to calm down the adrenaline and immense impulses her heart rate caused. She instantly felt pain in her arms and removed her robe, only to notice a bruise the size of a golf ball on her upper arm.  
  
{Back in the castle}  
  
Nikole limped through the halls. Chaos was everywhere. People were huddling in groups over huge pieces of glass; teachers were trying to undo the spell on the library door to get it open; Madam Pince and Hermione were being taken to the Hospital Wing by Professor Snape and Flitwick.  
  
Students were staring at her. She was using her robe to put pressure against her side to keep as much blood in, and she was getting a black eye. Her face was dirty and her shoes were broken; her shirt and skirt were ripped and torn. Blood was slowly seeping from her arm and her head hurt like hell.  
  
"Miss Piper!" Professor McGonagol shouted, scurrying towards the beaten girl. "What on Merlin's Earth happened?"  
  
"Um-"  
  
"We must get you to the Hospital Wing at once!" she exclaimed, taking one glance at her side and clothes. "Come!" McGonagol grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the Hospital Wing.  
  
Once Madam Pomfry had settled Nikole into a bed, Nikole explained the horrible battle to McGonagol before passing out into a coma. 


	20. Awakening

Three weeks had passed and Nikole was still in a coma. Hermione sat by her bedside and held her cold, limp hand.  
  
"Do you think she's ever wake up?" asked Ron, who sat on the other side of her bed.  
  
"Oh, Ron, she has to! She's the Slayer. She can't just stay in a coma forever-although it does happen . . ." Hermione's voice trailed off.  
  
"Do you think Harry knew that he was all evil?" asked Ron.  
  
"Gee, I hope not. It would really hurt him to know that he had almost killed Nikole and had turned over to the dark side for an hour."  
  
"Yeah. It would. But I think he should know that he was either way."  
  
"What? Ron? What are you talking about? You're supposed to be his best friend!"  
  
"I know, Hermione. But he should know that he hurt someone and he shouldn't have stolen that book from Nikole!"  
  
"But, Ron, he didn't steal it."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"Because he told us so."  
  
"Yeah. Then he turned into the devil."  
  
Hermione was silent. Ron did have a point. But why was he blaming all of this on Harry? Wasn't he supposed to be best friends with him? Hermione understood the anger that Ron felt toward Harry, but didn't count that Harry was under some sort of evil spell?  
  
"Hermione, don't you see? Maybe Harry is evil."  
  
"Maybe he was under a spell."  
  
"Hermione, why are protecting him?"  
  
"Why aren't you? You're supposed to be his friend!"  
  
"He's supposed to be Nikole's friend, too. But look at what he did to her! He hurt her. Now she's in a bloody coma!"  
  
"It wasn't his fault."  
  
"Why do you keep saying that?"  
  
"Why do you keep disagreeing?"  
  
"Because friends don't do that to friends."  
  
"Well friends also stick with friends. They trust them." "Ugh! Hermione! So you're going to trust Harry even though he was the devil and tried to kill you?"  
  
"Of course not! Because I know it wouldn't be Harry!"  
  
"Well, the man who hurt Nikole wasn't Harry, Hermione. Yet you still trust him?"  
  
"Ron. Please be sensible-"  
  
"Sensible? You're the one trusting the Anti-Christ!"  
  
"He is not the Anti-Christ!"  
  
"Right. He's the devil."  
  
"Ron! Just drop it already!"  
  
"Fine. You don't want to admit that you trust Satan. I can live with that."  
  
"Ron. Just shut up about it already!"  
  
"Why don't you just tell me the truth?"  
  
"Because I already did! I trust Harry."  
  
"I think it would help if he wasn't an evil demonic creature, don't you think?"  
  
"Ron, drop it! I'm serious!"  
  
"Or what?"  
  
"I'll make you eat slugs again."  
  
Ron's eyes bulged and he didn't speak another word for ten minutes. He just looked at Nikole's pale face, that is, before she moved for the first time in weeks.  
  
Nikole groaned and her eyes slowly opened. "Where am I?"  
  
"Nikole! You're awake!" squeaked Hermione.  
  
"I'll go get Madam Pomfry," Ron said as he walked out of the door.  
  
"Huh?" asked a confused Nikole.  
  
"Oh, Nikole, what do you remember?"  
  
"Who's Nikole?" 


	21. Risen

Hermione gasped. "Nikole?"  
  
Nikole looked at this surprised girl. "Who is Nikole?"  
  
Hermione said nothing as Madam Pomfry and Ron came in.  
  
"Hello, Miss Piper," began Madam Pomfry. "How was your sleep?"  
  
"She doesn't remember who she is," Hermione answered.  
  
"Oh God," Ron exclaimed.  
  
Madam Pomfry looked at them both. "What are you so sad for? We have exactly the thing for memory restoration." She stood up and walked over to a cabinet. She filed through it for a while before coming back to Nikole's bed with a bottle in her hand.  
  
"What is that?" Hermione asked, standing to make room for Madam Pomfry.  
  
"Kinkerbelle," Madam Pomfry replied.  
  
"Of course!" Hermione exclaimed. "Kinkerbelle! It's the sap from the Nimpher Tree. And when Silacomb is added, it results in one of the best memory restoration spells in the world!"  
  
"Hermione," Ron grumbled. "Now is not the time to be blabbering about Potions or whatever."  
  
"Sorry," Hermione muttered.  
  
"Just relax," Madam Pomfry soothed Nikole. "Just drink this."  
  
*  
  
Nikole stepped out of the girls' dorms dressed in ultra-low-rise jeans and a blue T-shirt. "I feel fat," she groaned as she plopped onto the couch.  
  
"Well, you certainly don't look it," Hermione commented.  
  
"Gee, I hope not," Nikole replied.  
  
Ron was sitting there on the other couch just watching and listening to their conversation. He didn't have a smile on his face. At that moment, Dumbledore stepped into the Gryffindor common room with Snape and McGonagol following.  
  
"Miss Piper," Dumbledore bellowed. "Do you have an idea of where you sent Mr. Potter?"  
  
"Yes. I sent him to the most powerful wizard. Don't you have him?" Nikole said.  
  
"No," Dumbledore said slowly.  
  
"Voldemort has him," Snape said.  
  
"What?" everyone gasped.  
  
"Oh no," said Nikole.  
  
"Gee, ya think?" Ron exclaimed.  
  
"Mr. Weasely," McGonagol said sternly.  
  
"But, if Voldemort has him then...that must mean..." Hermione's voice trailed off.  
  
Nikole looked up. Her face showed no fear. "He has risen." 


	22. Defeat Or No Defeat

"What?" Ron exclaimed. "He has risen?" He plopped down onto the couch and had his hand on his forehead. Hermione sat down as well.  
  
No one had expected this.  
  
"Yeah." Nikole bit her bottom lip as she sat down.  
  
"You know what must be done, Miss Piper," Dumbledore replied.  
  
Nikole nodded. She slowly stood, her face buried in her hands. "This is all my fault, if I hadn't sent him, then-"  
  
"It is not your fault," Dumbledore said, the twinkle in his eyes disappearing.  
  
"Yes it is."  
  
"No. Now you must go and get ready," Dumbledore said, helping her stand up. Nikole walked upstairs and opened her trunk, everyone following her. The room was dark. Dumbledore mumbled a spell and the room was lit quite considerably.  
  
"What are you doing?" McGonagol asked, folding her arms.  
  
"Suiting up."  
  
"Pardon?" she asked again.  
  
"I am getting the stuff ready," Nikole answered.  
  
"For what?" Ron asked.  
  
"His ceremony." Nikole grabbed a leather jacket out of her trunk and closed it.  
  
"That's all you're taking?" asked Ron.  
  
"No. This is so I won't get cold." Nikole fixed her collar. "And so I look good when I kick some evil butt."  
  
"Pfuit," replied Ron. "No one will care."  
  
"Says you," Nikole answered.  
  
"Aren't you going to take some weaponry?" asked Hermione.  
  
"That's for downstairs," answered Nikole.  
  
"Miss Piper," began Dumbledore as he motioned for Ron and Hermione to leave the room. "As your authority, I am obliged to keep you from endangering your life."  
  
"Professor," started Nikole, "As the Slayer, I am forced to ignore your authority rank, and kill this evil. My life is no more important to me when I must complete my duty."  
  
Dumbledore smiled. The twinkle in his eye returned. "Yes, you must."  
  
"The world depends on you now, Miss Piper," McGonagol replied, placing her hand on Nikole's shoulder.  
  
Nikole smiled a small one before she headed downstairs.  
  
"Are you ready?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Almost. Just need my weapons."  
  
"I wish we could help," Ron said.  
  
"You can. Stay inside at all times," Nikole replied.  
  
"We can do that," Ron replied.  
  
*  
  
Nikole walked out of Hogwarts, weapons in hand. The sky was becoming dark. Lightning flashed in the sky. Rain started to pour.  
  
She positioned her crossbow as two dark figures landed gracefully in front of her.  
  
Nikole took a breath. "Bring it on."  
  
*  
  
A/N: End. There might be a sequel in the future. 


End file.
